Charles Sangster was the first poet to write poetry which was substantially about Canadian subjects.
24 Facts About Charles Sangster
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Charles Sangster's mother raised Charles and his 4 siblings on her own.
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Charles Sangster was an indifferent student, and showed little interest in the school curriculum.
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Charles Sangster continued writing poetry and submitting it, anonymously or pseudonymously, to the local papers.
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In 1849 Charles Sangster quit his job at Fort Henry and moved to Amherstburg, Ontario, where he became editor of the Amherstburg Courier.
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When James Reeves, owner of the Courier, died the same year, Charles Sangster returned to Kingston, to work as a proofreader and bookkeeper for the British Whig.
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Charles Sangster first gained national attention as a poet in 1850, when his poetry began appearing in Literary Garland, Canada's foremost literary magazine.
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Charles Sangster published his first book of poetry, The St Lawrence and the Saguenay, and Other Poems, in 1856.
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That same year, Charles Sangster married Mary Kilborn, a 21-year-old Kingston woman.
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In 1859, Charles Sangster wrote the poem "Brock", commissioned for the inauguration of the monument to General Isaac Brock at Queenston Heights.
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In 1864, Charles Sangster became a reporter for the Kingston Daily News, and 16 of his poems appeared in the first published anthology of Canadian poetry, Selections from Canadian Poets.
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Charles Sangster's job required long hours and didn't pay very well.
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Charles Sangster published 16 poems in magazines between 1868 and 1878, most of which he had written before moving to Ottawa.
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Charles Sangster wrote virtually nothing for the 18 years he worked at the Post Office.
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Charles Sangster had a nervous breakdown in 1875, and developed a chronic nervous system condition during the 1880s.
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Charles Sangster replied the next day, and the two men struck up a friendship by mail.
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Charles Sangster doubled the size of "The Saint Lawrence and the Saguenay" to over 200 stanzas, and sent the manuscript to his cousin Amos Sangster to illustrate.
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Charles Sangster cut many of the "other" poems in the first volume, and made over 2,000 changes to the ones he kept.
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Hesperus got off easier, but Charles Sangster still made more than 200 revisions to the work.
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Charles Sangster died in Kingston in 1893, and is buried in the city's Cataraqui Cemetery.
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Charles Sangster's inspiration was drawn from three themes: love, nature and religion.
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Charles Sangster wrote many poems about his experiences and was commended for his ability to express the beauty of Canada's landscapes.
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Charles Sangster was often called the "father of Canadian poetry" because of this.
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Charles Sangster was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1892.